I recall an article a few years ago in Scientific America.  You might try to
look it up.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected] 
Date: Thursday, March 26, 1998 12:57 AM
Subject: Grduate students needs help


>Hello,
> My name is Clay McGalla and I am a graduate student at California
>Uiversity of PA. and as part of my Transportation class I am doing some
>MEMS realted research.  Let me brifly explain.  I am working on a
>Master's degree in Technology Education and am enrolled in a course that
>is largley concerned with futuristic technologies.  The assignment was
>to develop some type of activity that dealt with transportation and a
>futureistic technology.  I want to develope a problen solving class or
>activity that uses MEMS as the "problem," if you will.  I have found so
>much information on the technical aspects of MEMS (which way beyond the
>scope of my assignment) and not enough on a few other aspects.  I would
>like to know what kind of competition is out there, is there a monopoly
>on the market, is it even a market yet, what are the social
>implications, what is the genesis of MEMS, how long have they been
>around and also what is the technological forecast?  I still have mounds
>of information to read, but those questions seem to be the hardest for
>me to find the answers to.  I realize that my idea seems a little but
>out of the ordinary, but I really believe that teacher's should help
>facillitate problem solving skills.  Moreover, the more interested kids
>get in "this" type of technology the better chances we as a society have
>to enjoy it.  Any information that you feel would help in my research
>would be great, if not I understand busy schedules.  Again, technical
>information is abundent (although complex)but some of the more obscure
>information is difficult to find.  Thank you very much for your time.
> Clay McGalla
>